Faculty of Humanities (FGw)Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG)

Institute

Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA)Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR)

Abstract

We examine the divergent modes of conceptualizing, valuing and representing the páramo highlands of Santurban, Colombia, as
a struggle over hydrosocial territory. Páramo residents, multinational companies, government and scientists deploy territorial
representations and valuation languages that interact and conflict with each other. Government politicians and neo-institutional
scientists wish to reconcile diverging interests using a universalistic territorial representation, through game theory. This
generates a hydrosocial imaginary that renders invisible actors’ power differentials that lie at the core of the territorial
resource use conflict. We conclude that this ‘governmentality’ endeavour enables subtle, silent water rights re-allocation.

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